CHOO CHOO SIGN COULD GET OVERHAUL

The lights in the iconic Choo Choo sign that towers over the hotel as the southern flank of the downtown skyline have been off for months as hotel officials weigh the future of a 44-year-old neon landmark. Choo Choo President Adam Kinsey said he considers a decision about the sign's future to be part of an ongoing renovation process that has brought restaurants, businesses and the Passenger Flats apartments to the complex. "We do know how significant it is to the skyline of Chattanooga," Kinsey said. "But right now, rather than having it on and having some of the lights work and some not work, it's better to just leave it off while we tackle the best way to move forward with it." The move has led curious Southside residents like Dave Hurd to wonder: Where did the lights go? "Anybody you talk to has the same view," said Hurd, who can see the sign from his Southside Flats apartment. "I'm not a longtime Southside resident, but I've been coming to Chattanooga my whole life and the sign has always been there. I feel like I've been watching it die over the last few months. It's not the same when ...